Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold

Lamar Odom has sore left shoulder

The late-night flight and the ensuing pain in his left shoulder became so overwhelming that Lakers forward Lamar Odom says he didn't go to sleep until between 4:30-5:00 Thursday morning.

He then arrived to practice at 11 a.m. to receive treatment and ice for what the team described as a sore left shoulder. It won't be enough to keep him out of the lineup Friday when the Lakers host the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center. But Coach Phil Jackson said the injury is a "residual effect from last night's fall" in which Odom hit the deck and favored his left elbow during the Lakers' 99-95 victory Wednesday over the Phoenix Suns. With Odom describing his shoulder as "stiff" and "painful," Jackson said the injury is "a problematic kind of thing that's going to be affecting him for a while" and may affect his shot.

"It hurts," said Odom, who likened the pain to a sprained left ankle. "I've been hurt before. It comes with the territory."

Odom also nursed a left shoulder sprain last season after dunking on Boston guard Ray Allen on Feb. 18, and later played through the postseason with a sprained right knee. This season, Odom has played through a bone bruise in his right foot, managing to post a 15.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game average in 34.8 minutes, the third-highest mark on the Lakers.

Odom's latest injury, as well as his upcoming reality show with wife Khloe Kardashian set to film in a few weeks, will provide further tests in seeing if Odom can still perform at a high level.

He insisted he can lift up his shoulder, but when a reporter asked him to do so, he jokingly said, "No."

"I'll have to play right-handed," Odom said with a smile to indicate he was joking, considering he's a left hander and rarely goes right. "That will be kind of crazy. I don't know how I'll pull that one off. But we'll have to try."